


Our Moments of Truth

by hariboo



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Coda, F/M, Iron Man 2 Coda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-08
Updated: 2013-12-08
Packaged: 2018-01-04 00:41:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,974
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1075026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hariboo/pseuds/hariboo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She gets the whole story out of him a few days after the Expo explodes around them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Our Moments of Truth

**Author's Note:**

  * For [andibeth82](https://archiveofourown.org/users/andibeth82/gifts).



> for my advent calendar, day one! horribly unbeta'd FORGIVE ME I LOVE YOU FRIENDS.

She gets the whole story out of him a few days after the Expo explodes around them. She would have gotten it sooner, she _wanted_ it sooner, but it’s the first moment they have had well and truly free without having to field calls from SHIELD, the lawyers, the Senate, or Department of Defense. They’re both exhausted. 

And that’s one the biggest understatements of Pepper’s life. Hell, feet have ached for days that she gave in and rotated down to kitten heels. 

Tony isn’t much better. Actually, one could say he’s worse. The dark circles under his eyes are painfully prominent and he drops on the couch in the workshop with a heavy sigh. The hole that spans the first two floors of the house is still being fixed and she asked him about moving into a hotel until the repairs were done but Tony shook his head, kicked away some debris and made his way into the workshop to check in with the machines -- Dummy, U, and Butterfingers whirring comfortably around them both as they continued their jobs in cleaning up the workshop -- and dropping on the couch. 

He tells her the whole story then as they’re surrounded by the broken down bones of the machine he made to save his own life. 

She doesn’t ask him, not out loud anyway. She touches his face and he turns to rest his cheek against her palm.

He starts to talk and doesn’t stop. 

She doesn’t stop him. She listens.

He tells her what the eggs meant. What Venice meant. What the company meant.

He tells her everything, eyes hooded and wary like he’s afraid she’ll still leave after his story is done or something.

Pepper doesn’t leave. Not that she hasn’t thought about it before. Of course she has. She’s only human and Tony is Tony. Self destruct buttons are kinda his thing. But, she’s painfully aware, it’s too late for her to leave now, and not just because the late hour, but because she already made the decision she won’t leave. Not now, maybe not ever. And it’s Tony. She knows what that kiss days ago meant, as complicated -- _more _complicated -- as it’s made them now.__

__But the fact is, Tony isn’t great at secrets and she still missed this. Maybe in a way she chose to miss it. Chose to see only the symptoms and not the cause of his actions the past few months and that angers her.The anger isn’t just at Tony, however. A good portion of it is at herself._ _

__She hates she missed what was _really _happening with him. Hates more that he kept it from her. And even as much she understands why he did, even as much as she understands his roundabout Tony Logic it was still stupid to keep it from her. From Rhodey.___ _

____In part there is a shared blame here, she feels, but if being able to self destruct is one of Tony’s party trick, putting back the pieces is hers._ _ _ _

____So, she doesn’t leave._ _ _ _

____She thinks about it for half a second - she’s only human, she almost _died _\- and doesn’t. Watching his bruised looking eyes and how his head drops back on the couch Pepper sighs, settles in. All his reserves are gone. All that’s left is Tony, tired and maybe, finally, a little too honest.___ _ _ _

______She can give him some honesty back. She’s never really been one for lies._ _ _ _ _ _

______Reaching out, she touches the shell of his ear. She’s next to him on the couch and his hand is cupped over her knee, and she doesn’t know when that happened, but aside from that point of contact they aren’t really touching elsewhere. Except now, as her finger traces the line of his ear and Tony leans into it._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I should leave,” Pepper says. “This is why I quit. I told you before I wouldn’t watch you kill yourself. I meant it.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Tony’s eyes slide over to her, “So is this your two weeks notice for real? Because it felt kinda spur of the moment back on the roof.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______He’s trying for levity. Pepper smiles, small and quiet, willing to give him that small moment because she answers. “It wasn’t spur of the moment.”_ _ _ _ _ _

______“You’ve never been a spur of the moment kinda gal,” he sighs and looks at her again, really looks, his fingers twitch on her knee. “You still quitting?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______She doesn’t answer him right away. She knows her answer, but first, “You can’t lie to me like that Tony. You can’t want to whisk me off to Italy and not tell me there’s a reason for it. You can’t give me your company and not tell me why. I need facts, maybe it’s not romantic, but it’s what I need. You want to be Iron Man? Fine, I get that, but I’m not here because you’re Iron Man. I’m here for Tony because…” she trails off. They both know why she sticks around. They both know why he gave her his company. But they’ve never said the words._ _ _ _ _ _

______Pepper turns and angles her body into his. She rubs at the dark circles under his eyes. Tony’s eyes flutter closed for a second but he opens them again and meets her gaze. She’s always liked how he’s looked her straight in the eyes._ _ _ _ _ _

______“I’m here because I care about you. You’re the most important person in my life and god, you’re a mess” -- she watches as his lips twitch, sad and somehow proud all at once -- “and I should know better, but here I am. And here I’m staying. So no, that wasn’t my two weeks notice. But if you keep doing this-- this lying to me, this keeping things from me. Keeping things I should know because I care about you-- _you_ , Tony, outside the suit, outside what the suit makes you feel like -- _then _you’ll have my two weeks notice and I won’t regret it.”___ _ _ _ _ _

________She hopes she won’t regret it, at any rate. She didn’t regret the words on the roof, but she’s still here, isn’t she? She knows that quitting and leaving are two very different things._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tony nods, he rolls his so his temple touches her arm. She’s holding his entire face up. “I wanted to tell you-- the eggs. Venice,” he says and he sounds so tired, so old. And he is. He’s getting older, she’s getting older and they can’t keep doing the same things they used to. They need to grow up, both of them, really. And what Pepper’s realising is that they might need each other to do it right._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Tony can’t keep keeping things from her and she can’t keep letting him. (Because that’s the worst truth she can admit to herself. She _knew _something was going on and didn’t push. She let him be Tony at his worst because that was she was used to doing, it was what Pepper Potts, Personal Assistant, used to do. Let Tony be Tony and pick up the pieces, arranging them in perfect order so nobody would see what he broke.) It wasn’t working anymore. It’s not like before where the line between assistant and boss was blurry and they kept it as constantly shifting buffer. It hasn’t been like before since Afghanistan and maybe they’ve both been trying too hard to make it like that. To keep things neat as possible as everything imploded and then literally exploded around them.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She sighs. “What didn’t you?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You said you wouldn’t watch me die.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Tony.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I didn’t want you to leave.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“I’m not leaving, am I?” She covers his hand with her own._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Well, technically, I’m not dying anymore. You know, no more than usual.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She rolls her eyes, “Fair enough, but I wouldn’t have left. Not because you were _sick_. When I said that I meant I didn’t and still don’t like you seeing put yourself in danger. I don’t like seeing you fly into a fight I don’t know you’re coming back from. That already happened once. I didn’t like it, but I get it--” No she can’t lie, “I’m getting it. Accepting it; the Iron Man thing. But what was happening with you, with your body, that’s different,” she reaches out and covers the arc reactor with her hand. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The metal is cool and hard under her hands. She’s grateful for it, even when she isn’t. Tony lets her touch for a second before reaching up and covering her hand with his own. Pepper looks up from their hand to his face. He looks so tired. She leans forward and presses her mouth against his. It’s easy, comforting. It’s been a long week and they’ve been too tired for anything more than comforting touches and sometimes slightly desperate make out sessions. It’s been weirdly easy so far. They still have things to talk about, so many things, she thinks, and many regarding moving forward together, but the basic nature of them remains._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She’s Pepper and he’s Tony and their a team. Which is why…_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“You can’t keep that stuff from me if we’re really doing this and we are, aren’t we?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Tony blinks, looking surprised and happy all at once and nods, lifting the hands on her knee to his lips._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Yes,” he says, sounding more than little desperate and relieved._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Pepper smiles, “Good, but that? Giving up and cutting me out? No go, Mr. Stark. And same goes for me. I don’t give up on you and you don’t give up on me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He grins now, the first true and open expression she’s seen in days. “Duly noted, Ms. Potts.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She scoots closer and wraps her around him, feels him relax in them. “We have to be equals in this, Tony. It’s the only this will work. 50-50. Partners.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He nods, pressing his forehead against her neck and she feels his mouth against her collarbone. It’s warm and welcome and they both know why she doesn’t leave. Why he gives her more of this life and self than he does to anyone else._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“70-30, it’s my company.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________She chuckles, running her hand through his hair. “You gave it to me, but okay, we’ll negotiate.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________He lifts his head and waggles his brows. “ _Ms. Potts _, I always knew you were the woman of my dreams. Will this negociation be involving those black heels? You know the ones,” he leers, and she rolls her eyes.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“If you’re lucky.” She presses their foreheads together and pushes him away gently. She stands from the couch, tugging at their still joined hands and nods to the stairs. “Tonight though, we’re going upstairs and into bed, because the crew is getting here at seven and I have a meeting at nine. Oh and you’re sleeping until at least eight. Jarvis, you got that?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Understood, Ms. Potts. Your usual six am alarm?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“Please, Jarvis.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Tony smiles up at her and stands, stepping into her space, much closer than he used to. And how normal it feels is both odd and comforting. It makes perfect sense when she thinks about it. What she loves the most about Tony is that he’s odd and yet the most reliable thing in her life. “I always loved how you ran my schedule.” He kisses her quickly, arm slipping around her waist. “Like a drill sergeant, but so much hotter.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________She winks, “I know.” Kisses his cheek._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________As they head up, Tony stops her as they make their way around the cracks in the floor. Cracks they’ll see will get fix, together. He looks down and then up and turns to her. “I’m glad you’re staying, Pepper. I’m glad you’re here.” The _with me _goes unsaid but she still hears it. She cups his face and smiles as honestly as she can.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“I’ll always stay as long as you let me.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


End file.
